Potatoes

Question 1

Named cultivar

Answer 1

Potato ‘Maxine’ (main crop)

Question 2

How and when to sprout

Answer 2

Seed tubers should be set up to sprout in light, frost free conditions in February for early potatoes.

Question 3

When to plant earlies

Answer 3

Plant mid march to early April in 30cm apart rows.

Question 4

When to plant maincrop

Answer 4

Plant out mid to late April. 67.5cm between rows and 37.5cm between tubers.

Question 5

How to maintain potatoes

Answer 5

Cover shoots with soil or straw when an early frost is likely.
A top dressing of fertiliser should be given before earthing up.
Draw soil up to near tops of shoots when large enough
Irrigate to field capacity when the tubers are the size of a marble.

Question 6

How to harvest

Answer 6

Dig earlies as required but store main crops in dark, dry, frost free shed.
Allow tubers to dry before storing
Do not store damaged tubers.

Question 7

How long to store for

Answer 7

If kept in a cool shed, potatoes can be stored for 2 months.

Question 8

One pest and it’s controls

Answer 8

Potato cyst eelworm. Cause early dying back of the haul and very poor crops with small tubers. Do not use a site known to be affected. Use crop rotation.

Question 9

One disease and it’s controls

Answer 9

Potato blight. Dark blotches appear on the leaves and stems. In humid conditions, white mould may develop on the undersides of the leaves. Entire plant may collapse. Infected tubers have dark, sunken lesions. Spray with fungicide to prevent. Destroy infected plants.